Thursday, October 30, 2008

We went to a Halloween party last night and we forgot our camera. Luckly a couple of my friends snapped a few pictures. I am still waiting for the ones from my other friend so hopefully I will be able to post more.

So if you can't tell who we are I will fill you in. I am the devil woman!!! Erik is Napolian Dynamite! Alex is our little cowboy! Kayla is the cutest pumpkin ever!

Erik and our friend Dean holding their baby girls. They are both adopted and they are just 6 weeks apart in age.


My little cowboy!



Mommy and Kayla!



This cowboy got shot down! Just kidding! He was tired and just layed down for a break. He does this all of the time.

Friday, October 24, 2008

A whole lot of blog!

Daddy and Kayla snugglebugging!

I figured out a way to make clipping toenails and fingernails fun. Alex and I pretend that his hands are really yucky and the only way to get them all clean is to clip his nails. Well Alex took Eriks socks off and said "ooh yucky"! Then he ran to the kitchen to get something out of the junk drawer. We new he was looking for clippers and he came back with this tool. We were laughing histerically while he tried to clip Eriks toenails. It was pretty darn funny!




Alex and Kayla's cousins, Gavin and Blake, came over last weekend. They had a lot of fun playing in the yard. . . especially in the pile of leaves.




We went to the Apple Orchard last week and Alex had a great time. He still talks about it. He tells us about the park, and the apples, and the pumpkins. He talks about the tractor ride and the animals. He was the only toddler not too scared to feed the goats. Even the 4-7 year old kids were a little nervous to get their hands too close.




There was a playground at the Apple Orchard that Alex loved.



We took a hay ride around the orchard. Alex loved it because it was being pulled by a tractor. They had a lot of tractors there and Alex tried to count them as we went by.



Audrey came with us to the apple orchard. She really loves her grandkids! She and Kayla hung out together most of the day.

Alex was the only 2 year old on the haystack. The older kids were playing king of the hill and he was right in the middle of all the pushing and shoving. I got a little nervous but he had fun up there.






Alex decided to climb into is toybox and play. . . it was just another candid moment.



Alex has done this since he could get into the fridge. He opens it and sits in the bottom shelf. I love this one because he is wearing daddys shoes.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Family Pictures!

We had our family pictures taken tonight and I was so excited to get home and blog them so here they are.






Thursday, October 16, 2008

Kayla's checkup!

Yesterday we had Kayla's first checkup in 2 months. She weighed 10lb 6oz. I am such a proud mama. She is doing so good. The doctor said normally with preemie babys they have there own growth chart but with Kayla she is already on the charts with her peers. She is at the lower end of the chart but at least she is on it. She is 5% for head and length and about 25% for weight. It is her weight that the doctors are most pleased with. Good thing that girl likes to eat. She did get her shots, poor little thing. She only cried for about a minute and then she was okay. I think the shots wiped her out because I fed her last night at about 8:30 and she slept until 5:30. Our dog was barking and woke us both up. I bet she would have slept longer if the dog hadnt barked. So it is almost 10 o'clock here and she is still sleeping. The doctor thinks she has acid reflux too. Not fun but we are working through it. I am happy to say we are out of the preemie age. She is smiling more and more and starting to be more alert and active. Today our family is going to the apple orchard so we will take a ton of pictures and post them soon.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Kayla is 2 months old today!





I can't believe it has been 2 months already. WoW!!! Time is flying by. I got a couple of shots of Kayla but she was not happy about it. She was hungry and not wanting to deal with the paparazzi!

The last picture I was laying on the couch taking a nap with Kayla. Then Alex woke up from his own nap and came downstairs. He wanted to snuggle with mommy because Kayla was. His head was on my lap but when dad came with the camera he shot his up and said CHEESE! He is very cute. At church today Kayla was awake for quite some time during sacrament meeting. I just looked at her and whispered to her while smiling. She smiled back several times. She has a beautiful smile. She is really young for her age but I think she is progressing well. I could hear the family behind us in church whipering, "she is sooo cute" over and over again. THey had a couple of daughters that really like babys. One came up to me a couple of times in the halls to look at Kayla. She is wearing newborn clothes that actually fit her snug. I did have her in a 3 month old dress for church that drowned her but it goes to show that she is growing and doing good.

Friday, October 10, 2008

How well do I know Erik?????

1) Where did you meet?
I met Erik in Utah about 2 weeks before I left on a mission to Quito, Ecuador. Talk about bad timing. I was attracted to him instantly. I found out that he thought my little sister was cute so I didn't even want to try to go for it. I was very shy then so I would sit back versus go for a challenge. About 3 days before I was suppose to leave we ended up talking on the phone for over an hour. He said he was going to come and see me before I left. We went out a few times during those few days and then I left. He wrote me several times while I was in the MTC before I left the country. He wrote me maybe 2 times while I was in Ecuador. He was the last boy I kissed before I left and the first boy I kissed when I came home. I wrote in my missionary journal before I left on how and why he was the perfect guy for me.

2) How long did you date before you got married?
We met in 1998 and we were married in 2001. We had an off and on relationship. I think we were both afraid of the whole next step. After I returned home from Ecuador we decided we were better off as friends. He became one of my best friends at that time. I would tell him about the boys I was dating and he would do the same about the girls he was dating. I told him things I didn't even tell my sisters or mom. That is huge because I told my mom and sisters about everything. We made each other play the chase game pretty hard and then we finally quit missing and caught each other. Our friends said when I wanted him he didn't want me and when I wasn't interested anymore it was all he would think about. MEN! At least we finally got on the same track.

3) How long have you been married?
It will be 7 years this November. I cant believe it has already been that long.

4) What is your favorite feature of his?
His face, he has nice green eyes and a great smile.

5) What is your favorite quality of his?
He is a hard worker all of the time. He is willing to help anybody at anytime.

6) Does he have a nickname for you?
Not that I can think of

7) What is his favorite food?
Steak and Potato's

8) What is his favorite sport?
All of them. Especially Baseball, Football, and Basketball.

9) When and where was your first kiss?
I know it was in Idaho probably at my parents right before I left on my mission.

10) What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We like to play Volleyball, Basketball, and go to the movies.

11) Do you have any children?
Yes, 2 beautiful children. Alex is 2 and Kayla is almost 2 months.


12) Does he have a hidden talent?
None that I can think of.

13) How old is he?
He is 36

14) Who said "I love you" first?
I don't remember (Yikes I should remember that kind of stuff) I probably shouldn't blog this now because he will remember and I am going to get crap for it. I am sure it was him because i am old fashioned and make them men do the first of everything.

15) What is his favorite type of music?
80's

16) What do you admire the most about him?
His love and devotion to his family

17) Do you think he will read this?
yes

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I got tagged!

I got tagged. So you too, are now playing tag....

Here are the rules:

Link the person who tagged you. Tell about 6 quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment to let them know...Tell about 6 quirks of yours.


1. I am a little OCD. I think everybody has it in them a little bit. Elizabeth, you are going to see how crazy alike we are at times. Okay my OCD is my towels have to be folded a certain way. My cousin Elizabeth has the same problem as me. If it is not folded how I like then I will go behind and refold the towels. They have to look perfect in my closet. I fold them in half and then in half and then in 3rds. They look great on the shelf this way. If I open my dishwasher and things are not put where I think they should go then I will reload it. I have bottles with different colors but they are all the same bottles (baby bottles). The lids have to match. . .poor Erik gets an ear full if they do not match. I should feel bad for him since he is color blind . . . but when I get a bottle ready for Kayla and the Lid is pink and the bottle is green I am irate. THEY. . .HAVE... TO. . . MATCH!!!

2. I am a reality TV junky. You name it and I probably watch it or have watched it even if it is just pieces of it. Deanne, I saw you had this as one of your quirks too. I guess I am not very original, but how many quirks can there be. I love DVR (aka TEVO) then I can record more than one of them at a time and go back and watch them without the commercials. The must see ones for me are "The Amazing Race", "American Idol" (especially in the beginning when they are bad and Simon tells them how awful they are) "Americas next Top Model", . . . Supernanny, Wifeswap, etc, etc. . .I think you get it.

3. I am a little ADHD. I don't like to sit still and I don't like to listen and be quiet for very long. I hate to say it but church is hard to sit through for me. I sometimes find myself wandering the halls and visiting with whoever is there. (I know I am not being a good example) At least with kids I have a reason to be in the halls. It was much harder before the kids because I had no excuse so I just sat there. School was always hard because I had to once again sit there and listen.

4. This is another one for cousin Elizabeth. I am a leg jiggler too. I often bounce my leg at a rapid speed and most times i don't even know I am doing it. My dad does it too. I am sure it is a Grandma Fran Gene passed down since Uncle Jim does it along with all of his rug rats. Maybe it has something to do with my undiagnosed ADHD and not being able to sit still.

5. I like my family to look put together when we are out in public. I like the kids to have clean faces and look like they are well dressed. I like my husband to have a clean shave and decent clothes on. . . a haircut once in a while is nice too. I lose that battle A LOT with Erik. At least with kids I still have some control. When I lose it then my OCD may kick in a little stronger.

6. Everyone that knows me well, knows I am a competitor and I like to win. Who doesn't like to win? It isn't fun playing against someone who doesn't care. When it comes to sports I am somewhat of a snob. . . I don't like to play with people who don't know how to play. Especially when they say they play .. .lets say . . .Volleyball. Then they show up and you wonder if they have ever seen a V-ball let alone played the sport before. I can play for fun if I have advanced warning!:-)

I am tagging. . . Courtni M, TJ, Dannel, Samantha, Rebecca, and Kourtni W. . .mom I saw that Deanne already tagged you so I will be waiting for yours.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The House on the Rock

We went to Wisconsin to this House on the ROck. It was pretty cool walking through this crazy house. This guy literally built his house on a rock. When you walk through it, there are rock walls, and floors, stairs, the whole works. Check out this site if you want to see more about it. www.thehouseontherock.com

Alex Jordan, Jr. wanted to teach Frank Lloyd Wright a thing or two about architecture. The lesson started years ago.

Jordan's dad, a budding architect, had been dismissed at Wright's Taliesin home, near Spring Green, with the declaration, "I wouldn't hire you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop." Soon after, the senior Jordan chose a pinnacle rock south of Taliesin to build a parody of Wright's fancy-pants architecture, a strange "Japanese house." The ceilings were dangerously low (padded now to accommodate tourists) and the structure seemed to cling precariously to the odd contours of the rock.







Above are some of the rooms in the house on the rock. I really liked the book case and it had some really old books on it. The third picture that looks like a long hallway is the infinity room. At the top of my blog you can see a picture of a part of the building sticking way out. As you get to the end of the room it starts to bounce a little bit. It made me a little sick. It also has a hole with a window in the floor so you can see all the way down to the ground.






We ended up getting a hotel with a cool submarine in the pool. The submarine had slides and fun things for us to play on. Alex liked the big pool best. He is our little fish. Once he warms up to the water he doesnt want any help. He swam back and forth across the pool 3 times before we took back to the room to go to bed. Then Erik got up and took him swimming again in the morning. I was tired from putting kids to bed all night. Alex didnt go to bed until after midnight (I blame it on the unfamiliar place) Then at about 1 a.m. the fire alarm went off. So then I had to get Alex back to bed and then I had to feed kayla and get her to bed. She woke up again at 4 and didnt want to go back to sleep. I was soooooo tired. Usually Alex goes to bed at 8 and sleeps through the night. 2 of them played a toll on me. I was tired the rest of the day.







We stopped at a play ground on the way back from the house on the rock.





THere was a pile of ice by the water so Alex and I threw it into the Mississippi River. He had a ball throwing the ice. . .he thought it was the coolest thing ever.

We had to stop and take a break for Kayla. It was good timing because she needed to be changed and fed right by an ice cream and pizza parlor. We didnt come prepared for her. We didnt have a stroller or a snuggli. Next time I will definetly pack the snuggli to carry her.

This was a shot of Erik and I at the house on the rock. (If some of you are not aready thinking it, I did sing "the wise man built his house upon a rock" on the way there. Erik didnt know the song so I was singing a solo.) Well the trip was short but it was a long drive to be in the car. We took Grandma Audrey and Grandpa Larrie with us. We all had a pretty good time but agreed that next time we drive 5 hours with kids we need to spend more than a day or leave the kids home. To much car time for the little people.



Our Family!



Alex



Kayla








At the end of the day Alex and I played chase while waiting to go.